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ABC Family

In the Pretty Little LiarsSeason 4 finale, Alison revealed to the Liars that Mrs. DiLaurentis had covered up Ali’s presumed-death in order to protect whomever committed the almost-killing. Why was Mrs. D. willing to cover for “A”? Here are our top theories.

“A” is her child

There aren’t many people Mrs. DiLaurentis would protect over her own daughter, but we’re guessing another child might make the list. We’re thinking specifically of Jason or the much-theorized about twin of Alison. If forced to choose between a child she already thought dead and a child she still had a chance to save, we’re guessing she’s go with the latter, especially if she felt a sense of responsibility over that child. If she felt as if it were her fault they had turned into the almost-killer he or she had become. Parent guilt, man.

“A” escaped from Radley

We know that Mrs. DiLaurentis was involved in some kind of cover-up at Radley — a conspiracy perhaps involving Toby’s mother. Whatever the deal, we think Ali’s attacker might be connected to that cover-up in some way. Whoever “A” is, we think she or he escaped from Radley. If the police figure out who “A” is, then it would most likely be bad news for the local mental health facility. As in: jailtime for those culpable in the cover-up. Seems like a pittance in relation to your own daughter’s murder, but no one wants to go to the slammer.

“A” threatened her with something worse

“A” deals in secrets, and we know that the DiLaurentis family has many. When Ali stole the N.A.T. Club videos from Ian, he told her that there were things on those videos that would hurt her family. Does “A” also know about these things? Did he or she threaten to expose them if Mrs. DiLaurentis didn’t help to cover up her daughter’s own presumed murder? Or maybe “A” went in a different direction. Coercion isn’t always based on lies. If “A” threatened to frame someone else for Ali’s “murder” (perhaps Jason?) then Mrs. D. might have been willing to go along with “A.” Even if it meant burying her own daughter.

All of the above

You may have noticed that these theories aren’t mutually exclusive. As we move ever closer to a PLL ending, the many mysteries the show is juggling seem to move closer to one another, too. Radley, “A,” Ali’s twin — we think these are all threads of the same truth tapestry (yes, we’re committed to our metaphors). And we can’t wait to see how and if they all come together.

Why do you think Mrs. DiLaurentis covered for “A”? Share your theories in the comments below!

Catch the next episode of Pretty Little Liars on June 10, 2014 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Kayti Burt is a contributing writer for Wetpaint Entertainment with a penchant for all things pop culture. Follow her on Twitter and Google+!